Kardoes: Park County doing well with stay-at-home

According to data presented Tuesday by Livingston City Manager Michael Kardoes, Park County residents are adhering to the stay-at-home order slightly more than the rest of the state.

Kardoes updated the commission on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at a virtual work session, held using the teleconferencing platform Zoom.

According to Kardoes’ presentation, which cited Google’s COVID-19 Mobility Report, as of March 29 Montana had seen a 51% reduction in retail and recreation travel, a 25% reduction in grocery and pharmacy travel and a 37% reduction in workplace travel.

In Park County, there was a 54% reduction in retail and recreation travel, a 29% reduction in grocery and pharmacy travel and a 44% reduction in workplace travel, according to the presentation.

365体育网址Park County is generally doing well relative to the rest of the state, Kardoes said, and hasn’t seen significant spread from Gallatin County into Park County. That could change, he said, if people begin to chafe against the governor’s stay-at-home order, so it’s important to continue with measures that are already in place.

The current number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Montana is much lower than the state’s capacity, Kardoes said, but that could change quickly.

365体育网址Now is the time to start planning for the city’s recovery from the pandemic, Kardoes said. He said the city will try to restore as many services as possible as long as it is able to keep people safe while doing so.

The governor’s stay-at-home order classified outdoor recreation as an essential activity, Kardoes said, so the city is trying to leave parks and trails open as much as possible for people who can’t travel longer distances to get to public lands. People seem to be able to practice social distancing in those places, Kardoes said.

365体育网址The city will continue to monitor the number of cases and see if the speed of transmissions changes, Kardoes said.

365体育网址So far, Kardoes said, the story in Park County and Montana is pretty good relative to other parts of the country.

365体育网址Commissioner Melissa Nootz asked Kardoes what precautions the city is taking to keep city workers safe.

Kardoes said city employees with coronavirus symptoms can access extra sick leave so they can quarantine for the total recommended time, and Livingston Fire & Rescue has designated a separate ambulance for coronavirus patients. Staff meetings are now being done via Zoom.

“I’m really proud of our community and the approach we have taken,” Commission Chairwoman Dorel Hoglund said.

In other business, Kardoes said the growth policy still being worked on, and the team is working on figuring out how to hold public meetings and gather public comment.

365体育网址Burton Planning Services, the contractor working on the policy, should come to the city with a current conditions report soon, Kardoes said, at which time they can get to work on the new policy.

The timeline may have to be adjusted, Kardoes said, but the goal is still adopting a new growth policy in September or October.

In light of the economic situation caused by the pandemic, Kardoes said, the city has made some changes to the revolving loan fund to allow businesses to apply for microloans of up to $10,000 during the emergency.

It’s a creative way to use resources the city already has, Kardoes said.